March 10, 2002

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins baseball team split a doubleheader with SUNY-New Paltz this afternoon with Hopkins taking the opener, 3-1, and SUNY-New Paltz winning the second game, 7-6. The Blue Jays are now 4-2 on the year, while the Hawks sport a 1-3 mark.

In the first game, SUNY-New Paltz opened a 1-0 lead in the second inning as Joe Papadidero reached after being hit by a pitch and scored four batters later on an RBI single from Randy Walters. Starter Rich Bizelia kept JHU hitless and scoreless through five innings before Hopkins began its comeback. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, senior Tom Prevas (Baltimore, MD/Gilman) reached on a single and pinch runner Jay Cieri (Pine Brook, NJ/Montville) scored on a single by sophomore Craig Cetta (Randolph, NJ/Randolph).

One batter later, senior Ben Taylor (Pawling, NY/Trinity-Pawling) brought home senior Karl Sineath (West Chester, PA/West Chester Henderson) and sophomore Tim Casale (West Hempstead, NY/Chaminade) to give JHU a 3-1 lead. Senior Jason Setty (Mt. Pleasant, TX/Mt. Pleasant) pitched two scoreless inning of relief for his second win of the season. Bizelia suffered the loss for the Hawks.

The Blue Jays jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings in the second game. Sophomore Carl Ippolito (Ewing, NJ/Pennington School) drove in two with his first triple of the year in the bottom of the first and Cieri added an RBI double in the second. SUNY-New Paltz scored three runs in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3, before JHU added a run in the bottom of the inning as Sineath scored on a Prevas sacrifice fly.

The Hawks would then score three more runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the score at 6-6. Mike Bucco highlighted the comeback with a two-run home run to right field. SUNY-New Paltz would score the game winner in the top of the seventh as Ernesto Sosa reached base on a walk and John Behrle drove him home four batters later with a single. Eric Kantner recorded the win as he allowed just one run and five hits in 5.2 innings of relief. Sophomore George Merrell (Bloomsburg, PA/Central Columbia) took the loss for JHU.

The Blue Jays return to action Tuesday, March 12 with a home game against Widener University at 3:00 p.m. JHU will then travel to Ft. Myers, Florida on Thursday, March 14 for seven games in a nine-day stretch.

Game 1 Line Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
SUNY-New Paltz (0-3) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1
#21 Johns Hopkins (4-1) 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 3 4 0

Battery
SUNY-New Paltz - Bizelia and Forger
Johns Hopkins - Berger, Setty (6) and Eberle, Prevas (6), Hitchner (7)

Extra-Base Hits
2b - Schropfer (SUNY)

Game 2 Line Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
SUNY-New Paltz (1-3) 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 7 8 3
#21 Johns Hopkins (4-2) 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 6 9 2

Battery
SUNY-New Paltz - Schuon, Kantner (2) and Behrle
Johns Hopkins - Righter, Lynch (5), Overstreet (6), Merrell (7) and Hitchner, Prevas (5)

Extra-Base Hits
2b - Behrle (SUNY), Cieri (JHU)
3b - Ippolito (JHU)
HR - Bucco (SUNY), Walters (SUNY)